Equinox
by The Lost and Found Box
Summary: Even the darkest kit tales have some truth in them.


**Tormented by his peers and "betrayed" by his family, Eaglepaw, a young medicine cat, tries to forget about his past and focus on becoming the best healer the Clans have seen. By cause of accidence, he may have discovered an ancient prophecy and complicated conspiracy that would destroy the lake forever. Does he really have all the answers, or is his mind just betraying him as well? As the seasons inch closer to the fall equinox, it may just be a race against time.**

**I don't own Warriors.**

**Rating may be changed in later chapters.**

**I may or may not add the allegiances.**

**A/N: Trying to get back in fan fiction. Concrit would be nice, I'm always open to improving my stories. Enjoy.**

Equinox

Prologue

A Bedtime Story

Sun dipped behind the horizon and a hazy orange glow stretched over the lake. Far above the sky, in the clouds, faded stars twinkled, waiting for the night to take hold of the forest. A light breeze ruffled the trees and the sweet scent of new-leaf blew over camp. It was nearly nightfall and the ThunderClan cats mingled and shared tongues outside their dens before retiring.

I slowly crept out of the elder's den, my fur bristling. It seemed as though nights were so cold now that my bones grew weary. I wasn't that old, but I could not continue my duties of a warrior to my Clan any longer. I hated it, rotting away all day in that StarClan-forsaken den. Tonight I had something to do other than sleep, at the very least.

I was to accompany another elder to entertain the kits. Tell them stories and the like. Basic elder-duties, I realized. I swished my tail angrily. Just two moons ago I was a well-respected warrior of this clan! Now I was being treated like a senile kitty-pet.

"Redleaf? The nursery is over here," my companion whispered, rubbing against my shoulder. I then realized I had been walking toward the warriors den. I growled lowly, trying in vain to mask my anger.

"I know where the nursery is, mousebrain," I hissed and half-ran over to the entrance, as if to prove my point. I made the mistake of hurrying in.

The warm scent of milk faded over me. When I entered the den I was greeted by enthusiastic kits and tired-looking queens, happy to let another take their little furballs off their paws. My companion, Patchheart nudged my thigh, telling me to move. I kicked dust from the entrance of the den in his face, careful not to get my own ginger fur dusty. He sneezed loudly. Some of the kittens laughed.

"You guys want to hear a story?" Patchheart asked, enthusiastic. All of the kits loudly mewed affirmative answers. I looked them older. Most of them looked to be about 3-4 moons in age.

One, a loud white tom mewed from the front: "Yeah, but we've already heard all of _your_ stories," he snorted at Patchheart, "we want to hear some of _hers_." He glared at me. Two other toms from behind him mewed in agreement.

Patchheart purred. "The audience has spoken. Redleaf? Are you up to the challenge?" I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Is a story what you little furballs want?" Mews of 'yes!'. I pulled my mouth into a smile. Maybe this entire daycare thing wasn't so bad. "I do have one story." The kits immediately settled down.

I sat on all fours and curled my tail around my legs. The wind was starting up again outside and the sun was sinking faster. "Long ago, in the old forest, when the Clans were young, StarClan had a problem. Bad cats were dying and coming up to StarClan and continuing their tyranny. The evil-doers had to be punished, but our ancestors had no idea how to do it."

"One cat, a young and often forgotten tom named Great Bird had an idea. He was going to take a small part of StarClan's endless hunting grounds and banish the bad cats there, where they would be forever hungry, tired and thirsty, and never find peace. StarClan discussed the idea and they all agreed. The only problem was the one patch of territory that would work was special."

"Twice every year there would come a day when the sun would stay out as long as the moon. On that day cats could gather and visit with their living and dead ancestors without any problem. It was a tradition in the Clans. Not wanting to waste any time, StarClan quickly sent a vision to all of the Clan leaders, telling them that the holiday was no more. Meanwhile, Great Bird was very troubled. He wanted to punish the evil-doers that threatened the Clans' peace. Without second thought, he sacrificed himself so that the magic that blurred the line between the dead and the living on that special day was ended."

"And so it was. The evil-doers were banished to the Dark Forest – the Place of No Stars. But some whisper that Great Bird's sacrifice was in vain, for the magic that kept the line from blurring is now wearing off. And soon, on a day when the sun and the moon are equal, the evil shall walk the lake again."

And so I was finished with my tale. From the corner of my eye I could see Patchheart glaring at me – we were not supposed to scare the kits. Sure enough, most of my audience was snuggling into the fur of their sleeping mothers. All except one. A young calico tom who sat at the back of the den. He was thin and sickly looking. Calico and tortoiseshell toms were very rare and very sterile. It was as though I could already hear his peers taunting him as he grew.

Instead of cowering he stared at me with wide eyes, fascinated with my tale. The sun had set outside and a cold wind was blowing in from the mountains, as if leaf-bare was telling us it hadn't ended just yet. I snorted and walked out into the camp. Who cares if I had scared a couple of kits? It's not like a simple kit-tale would torment them all of their life.

It was just a bed time story.


End file.
